Inspirational Letter from the Mohr Family to Arredondo Family

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Three years ago, Jets fan James Mohr was viciously attacked following a New York Jets Fan James Mohr after Brutal AttackJets vs Chiefs game.  Fans Against Violence immediately contacted the Mohr family to offer oursupport.  Anna Mohr, James’ sister, has been a big part of FAV since that day. With every incident that occurs, the feelings they had that day come rushing back to James’ family, particularly

 

Angels Fan Alex Arredondo

Anna.  When Anna heard about Alex Arredondo, the Anaheim Angels fan attacked after the Angels’ playoff game against the Kansas City Royals, it really hit home with her and she immediately felt the need to reach out and offer some type of support.

The following is the inspirational letter she wrote to the Alex Arredondo and his family.  Anna agreed to allow us post her letter in the hopes that it might help other victims and their families.

We would like to thank the Mohr Family and the Arredondo Family for allowing us to share this beautiful letter.

Dear Arredondo Family,

I do not know you, but we share something in common. It is something that most people are fortunate not to know or understand or experience. It is something that happens so quickly, so unexpectedly, so inexplicably, and yet it has changed our lives.

My brother was savagely beaten after a Jets/Chiefs game in December of 2011. He spent a week in the hospital, underwent hours of surgery to repair the broken bones in his face and due to the severe concussion he sustained and the bleeding on his brain, he was unable for months to do the basic daily things that come so easily to the rest of us.

I’m sure there are some things with which James struggles that he doesn’t share with me, or anyone for that matter. But I do know that now, almost three years later he still experiences headaches and visionary problems. Sometimes I wonder if the physical scars remind him of his traumatic ordeal, and I have to close my eyes and pray that no matter what he sees or feels, he knows he’s still as beautiful as he ever was and that his perseverance and strength are admirable and inspiring. I could not possibly be more proud of him.

I was, for lack of a better term, a complete mess when this happened. I was so overwhelmed with emotions it began to feel debilitating. At first, I was scared. We didn’t know the extent of his injuries and I’m the type of person who assumes the worst. When I knew he was conscious, fear turned to anger that someone could do this to another human being. As details emerged, anger turned to sadness. As witnesses recall, he responded to taunts from a group of people who targeted him for reasons that will probably forever be unknown. My best guess is because he was walking alone. He doesn’t remember what happened next. It’s believed he was hit from behind with a bottle or some other blunt object. (His injuries were consistent with this theory.) When I learned that my baby brother, who I will always look at as this adorable little boy, was left on the ground in a parking lot in the middle of a cold New York December, facedown in a pool of his own blood, I was physically ill for days. To think that someone could take someone so important to me and my family and toss him away like he was litter was such a sickening feeling, and it completely shook my faith in humanity and God.

I will not promise you that these feelings and thoughts will ever go away completely. I still have moments of sadness and rage and even guilt that I wasn’t there to protect him. But I can promise that over time, if you can find the strength to seek out a silver lining, life can in some aspects get even better. I have learned not to sweat the small stuff. I’ve come to love and appreciate family more than ever. I recognize the fragility of life and don’t take a second I spend with James for granted. I have restored my faith and can again see that for every act of evil, you can find a hundred acts of kindness. That last lesson was learned quickly, thanks to Fans Against Violence. When I would go home from the hospital at night, exhausted and upset and feeling alone, I’d have a mailbox full of messages from people I had never met, spread out all across the country, who just wanted to express their support. Sometimes something as simple as kind words can provide desperately needed comfort. I hope this letter does just that.

And to Alex, my heart breaks that you are suffering through this because of someone else’s stupidity, recklessness and complete disregard for your well-being. Please know that there are thousands and thousands of people thinking about you, praying for you, and cheering you on through your recovery. It is my great hope that one day you will be able to look back on this experience and know it made you a stronger and better man.

And finally, one day, when the pain subsides and the wounds begin to heal, I hope you can forgive. Emotional recovery is just as important, and it is hard to do when you hang on to the anger and hatred. It is not easy for me to know that the people who assaulted my brother get to carry on with their lives, never held accountable for their crimes, while the rest of us have to pick up broken pieces. I’m sure you’re experiencing immense anger right now, and you have a right to. But when I look at the big picture, I pity them. We have our families and our extended family at FAV. We have the support of so many. We still have our brothers, most importantly! It is a safe assumption that people who do things like this are missing the fundamentals that teach right from wrong, good from bad, and I find that extremely sad. So try to focus on Alex’s recovery, and celebrate what a tough and brave man he is!

If there is anything I can do to help you get through this, I hope you will reach out. Here’s to a speedy recovery, Alex! Thinking about you all the way from New York!

Best always,

Anna Mohr

49er “Waldo” Brings Seahawk and 49er Fans Together

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49er Waldo

Normally a fan attending a championship parade wearing the gear of a rival team would be less than welcome.  Initially this was the case of 49er fan “Waldo” (as he has come to be called), but this is far from the case with this brave young man now.  “Waldo” has quite the story to tell that shows how large fan bases can come together in times of need.

Turns out “Waldo” is 15 years old and is a ward of the state.  So that essentially means that this young man is homeless.  “Waldo” lives in shelters and has endured a very difficult life so far.  King 5 news in Seattle reports that “Waldo” does go to school everyday and that his teachers speak very highly of this brave young man. Ladies of the Empire In an interview with the Ladies of the Empire, an all female club for the San Francisco 49ers, and we’re proud to say one of Fans Against Violence’s partner clubs, “Waldo” explained his reasoning for going to the Seahawks Championship Parade in his 49ers gear “Just being a Niner fan and getting all the crap at school for being one.  I wanted everyone in Seattle and all around the world to know that I was a niner fan and I was no bandwagon!”

Word has spread really quickly about this young man’s unfortunate situation.  Longtime 49er fan and president of the Ladies of the Empire,  Catherine Tate was so impressed with what the bravery “Waldo” showed that she initially wanted to give him front row tickets to a 49ers game next season.  That is when this brave 15 year olds story came to the forefront.  Catherine worked very hard to get in contact with the right people and is raising money for “Waldo”.

Catherine and the Ladies of the Empire initially started a fundraiser on GoFundMe.com for “Waldo” to help get him to San Francisco for a game.  However, after learning of “Waldo’s” situation this go fund me is raising funds to help with all of “Waldo’s” everyday basic needs.  As of this writing $11,365!

Here is what is even more amazing when you see that number its not just 49ers fans contributing, Seahawks fans are also helping this young man.  Along with donations on go fund me you can leave a comment.  Some of the cool comments from the Seahawks fans are: “12th Man wants to help too”, 12th man Wilson style”, “Several 12 fans offering him shelter in their homes if he needs.

This story just goes to show how no matter what team you are a fan of, we are all humans in the end.  For all of the bad things you hear these days when it comes to rivalries in sports, there is more good than bad.  Here you have two fan bases that make one of the most heated rivalries in the NFL today bonding together to help a young man in need.  For as brave as “Waldo” was to go to the Seahawks championship parade in his 49ers gear, it is nothing compared to the courage he shows every day living his difficult life.

To contribute to Waldo’s go fund me please go here: www.gofundme.com/Get-Niner-Waldo-to-SF

For more information on the Ladies of the Empire: ladiesoftheempire.com

For more information on Fans Against Violence: www.fansagainstviolence.org

Fans Against Violence – FanShake PSA – Brought to You by TheMadFanatic

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We are so thrilled to release our first Public Service Announcement for our FanShake Program.  The FanShake program and the FanShake Cam was built on the premise that the smallest of gestures can sometimes have the most impact.  With the simple act of shaking an opposing fans hand and welcoming them to “your house” you can change the entire mood of your section.

The FanShake Cam first made its debut at the Oakland Raiders season opener versus the San Diego Chargers and was a huge hit! Our hope is that by encouraging fans to welcome each other through the FanShake, we can start to help reduce the number of incidents at sports venue nationwide.

So Next time you are at a game..make sure and do the FanShake!!

How Assumptions Lead to Fan Violence

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We see and hear about it at nearly every sporting event around the world: Two or more fans get into a shouting match about their favorite teams. “My team is better than yours. Your team sucks. You guys are going down!”

If it remained simply a war of words, that would be fine. In fact, that’s the whole point of fandom; supporting your team regardless of how bad they are, or what’s happening on the field.

Unfortunately, it almost never ends with verbal exchanges. Invariably, a fight breaks out and someone gets hurt.

What are the reasons behind this? Why does “trash talk” almost always end in hurt feelings and emergency room visits? The answer is multi-faceted.

Perhaps the biggest contributor to these incidences is passion. Passion for the game, passion for the team and a passion for being able to call your team a “winner.” Passion is great, but only if it’s restrained and directed in a positive manner.

The next time you hear a fan of the opposing team spouting off about this or that, just remember…that person is just as passionate as you are and they are simply looking to cheer their team on…just like you.

Don’t take offense, even if what they’re saying is offensive and rude. Keep in mind that if you react to their venom, you become no better than them. “The fight avoided is the fight best fought.”

Be the “bigger,” more mature person in these cases.

Another factor that often leads to fan vs fan violence is assumptions. Assumptions about a particular fan base, an assumption about a person’s intentions and assumptions that your words aren’t as inflammatory as you think.

Often times, appearances can lead people to make assumptions about the character of a given person. These assumptions can cloud judgement and cause a person to act in a way that is outside their normal personality.

On Halloween, when a six-year-old boy knocks on your door wearing a hockey mask and carrying a pretend ax, do you automatically assume that he is a serial killer that has been raised from the dead? Of course not.

For some reason however, when fans of opposing teams go to, let’s say, an Oakland Raiders game, they tend to assume that the people with the spiked shoulder pads and face paint are automatically thugs that don’t deserve the common courtesy of respect.

That is narrow minded and unfair. The fact is that some of these “Super-fans” are pillars of the community. Their game-day personas are simply that—personas. Wayne Mabry is not actually a “Violator.” He’s a regular person with a job and responsibilities just like you.

Mr. Mabry is not only a “normal” person, he’s a passionate philanthropist, having raised a ton of money for local and national children’s charities. I have been given the honor of interviewing Mr. Mabry and the transcripts from that interview will be available at Raider Nation Times soon.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

The most obvious reason for these confrontations between fans is the one thing professional sports leagues absolutely refuse to remedy: The sale of alcohol at games.

The fact is, there is just too much money to be made from alcohol for the teams or leagues to remove it. It’s sad, but it’s true. Everyone knows that professional sports is a business and the leagues and the team owners are in it to make money…and alcohol is extremely profitable.

It is a proven fact that alcohol lowers inhibitions and causes people to over-react to volatile situations. It has also been shown to amplify emotions. Think about that for a second. Your ability to control your actions and your emotions are skewed and your team is losing. Nothing good can come from that.

This alteration of the frontal lobe of the brain results in bad judgement and stupid decisions; decisions that send people to jail and the hospital. It’s not rocket science.

What can fans do to prevent this? That’s simple…DON’T DRINK AT GAMES! You can wait until you get home. We’ve all heard the expression, “I don’t need alcohol to have a good time.” So, why do we need it to enjoy a sporting event? We don’t.

Please, “drink responsibly”…or not at all. You’ll be doing us all a favor.

Take a look at this video and ask yourself these questions:

Is this how I’d want my children to act? Are the people chanting “let them fight” really the kind of people that represent my feelings about this game? Do I want my children subjected to this behavior? Is this scene enhancing or detracting from my game-day experience?

Ultimately, there is only one group of people that can prevent fan vs fan violence; the fans themselves. Report potential problems to security, (there are text codes to reach security posted at most every stadium). Don’t drink to excess. Don’t make assumptions about other fans. Be passionate, but be mature and think of the message you’re sending your children.

If fans don’t police themselves, the leagues will do it for them. We, as fans, have to step up and do the right things. If we don’t, the teams and the leagues will do it for us…and that will suck the fun out of everything for us. The rules for attending games will be overly restrictive and ruin our experience. “…the trees are all kept equal by hatchet, ax and saw.”

Please, don’t let one or two bad apples ruin the bunch for the rest of us.

Follow John Doublin on Twitter: @CoachJayDee and find more of his work at www.RaiderNationTimes.com

Camaraderie Between Fan Bases: An Oakland Raiders Fan Shares His Experience

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Fan Camaraderie - Fans Against Violence

We are always on the look out for great stories which demonstrate positive interaction between fan bases…this week an Oakland Raider Fan, Adrian Yayo Canal, shared one of his personal experiences with a group of Indianapolis Colt fans.

A couple years ago I went to the game when we played the colts at home and behind us was a whole family of colts fans..from elder fans to kids..yea we were booing each other but that’s all it was…towards the end of the game they asked to take pictures with me and my cousin and we didn’t mind at all..and I must add right before we started leavin the seats that WHOLE family was thanking us and this and that..me and my cousin looked at each other and asked them why are u guys thankin us and their response was ”for having respect for us and not giving us a hard time and lettin us enjoy the game with you guys..that was a good feeling..I believe that was one of the first times I didn’t get judged cuz I was a raiders fan…people need to learn how to control themselves and there alcohol and let EVERYONE enjoy the game we love…sorry just wanted to share that…RRRRRAAAAIIIIIDDDDEEEERRRRSSSSS!!!…JUUST WIN!!

FAV would like to thank Adrian for sharing his story and allowing us to post it on our site!!

If you have a great story or pictures you would like to share, please email us at info@fansagainstviolence.org.